Please Understand Father
by KNDnumbuh678
Summary: The squeal to my other fic An Enlightening Night. Hiccup wants to help Snotlout be comfortable with being himself. But will the way he goes about it make him lose Snotlout forever? Read and see.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I wasn't planning on doing a second for this, but I've had a couple ideas come up so...yeah part two. You really need to read the first part to get this.**

Hiccup arrived early at the main hut the next morning to find Snotlout alone watching the sunrise. After the events of the previous night he simply sighed smiling and quietly joined him. Snotlout noticed Hiccup join him, but didn't say anything continuing to watch the morning sun crest over the the horizon. The two young men stood there in content silence for several minutes before it was broken by a soft voice rarely used.

"You won't tell anyone right? About me that is." Hiccup's smile fell a bit remembering the conversation they'd had under the stars. He understood how it felt to be different from the rest of his family, but unlike Snotlout he never hid that fact.

"No, I won't. But I hope you will." Eyes growing wide Snotlout turns to the younger viking. Hiccup couldn't really mean what he thought right?

"What do you mean Hic? You know what will happen…" Hiccup put up a hand to stop the other man.

"Actually I don't know, and neither do you. Snotlout last night I saw a side of you I didn't even know was there. If that really is the true you then you shouldn't be ashamed to be yourself." Snotlout looked away scoffing at Hiccup's words.

"That's easy for you to say. Do you honestly believe I haven't tried. As much as I wish it could happen it just can't." Hiccup became frustrated quickly turning and taking Snotlout by the shoulders which surprised him.

"The only reason you say that is because your father made you think it's true. Snotlout he's wrong and so are you. You never _have_ to be anything you don't want. It isn't right that you've been forced to believe otherwise." Snotlout stood frozen for a moment before looking down and removing Hiccup's hands from his person. He shook his head and silently turned away from his friend.

"Hiccup I appreciate what you're trying to say, but it just won't work. Even if you believe that, the majority believes the opposite. The fact is Hic, that no matter what I think or you think it doesn't matter. Please just drop it alright?" Hiccup was going to retaliate but stopped himself. He thought for a moment before nodding.

"Okay Snot. If that's really what you want I'll stop." Snotlout nodded giving a weak smile before heading for the training area. Hiccup waited for him to be gone before running to his hut to get Toothless. The dragon bounced happily as his rider mounted him to fly off. Before they could go a familiar voice caught Hiccup off guard.

"Just where do you think you're going Hiccup?" Turning around Hiccup saw Astrid with her arms crossed wait for an answer. Hiccup sighed having hoped he could get away before anyone else got up.

"I'm going to Berk. Dad wants a report about how we're stabilizing ourselves out here." Astrid raised a brow skeptically.

"Couldn't you just send a terror mail for that?" Hiccup cursed under his breath knowing he could hide from Astrid. Sighing again he dismounted Toothless looking Astrid right in the eye.

"Alright you caught me. I need some advise about a problem so I was gonna go talk to my dad. And Gobber if he's not too busy. Happy now?" Noticing the sarcasm in his last words Astrid simply rolled her eyes and walked away. With this Hiccup took off on Toothless heading straight for Berk and hopefully the answers he seeks.

 **Alright this will be a two parter so get comfy. But not right now because I have a life and might take a couple days. Let me know what you think so far. Bye =).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's part two. Enjoy.**

Hiccup arrived on Berk and quickly began searching for his father. When he wasn't at home Hiccup searched the great hall and the docks without luck. Finally he arrived at Gobber's smithy to find Stoick and Gobber chatting away as they often did when they both had some free time. Gobber noticed the young man first, smiling and gesturing him to come forward and take a seat.

"Oh Hiccup! How are you son? Everything well at the edge?" Hiccup smiled at his father's enthusiastic questions while pulling him in for a quick hug. Sitting down Hiccup got to the point of his visit.

"Everything's great dad, well mostly. I'm actually having a bit of trouble with one of the guys." Stoick looked confused and gestured for his son to go on. Hiccup sighed remembering his promise to Snotlout. He wanted help, so decided to try and be as vague as possible.

"Well you see. I got mad the other day and took it out on one of the others. I apologised to him and he was actually way cooler with it then I thought he'd be. So we talked for a bit and I realized he's not the guy I thought he was. However he's scared to show his true self to others, what can I do to help him?" Stoick chuckled to himself looking his son right in the eye.

"It's Snotlout isn't it son?" Hiccup froze which confirmed Stoick's thoughts. The man sighed looking over to his long time friend who had a similar expression.

"Yes, we had a feeling much of his mannerisms were just an act. Unfortunately there isn't anything you can directly do about it. Snotlout's been in this position for so long he doesn't know any better." Hiccup shook his head balling his hands into fists.

"But he does dad. He wants to be his own man, but he feels like nobody will accept him that way. Or they'll say he's faking." Stoick and Gobber both nodded.

"Listen now lad. He's not wrong to think these things. Considering his bloodline it's pretty reasonable to believe he'd do what he felt he needed to fit in. His father always putting such pressure on him to be the ideal viking certainly doesn't help the young man's confidence." Hiccup looked at Gobber as he spoke understanding what he meant.

"So I should just let him keep pretending?" Hiccup asked and Gobber shook his head quickly.

"Not at all. I've seen men like Snotlout and if this is allowed to continue the way it is he'll likely end up burning himself out. It's not a pretty sight, but you can't force him to start acting differently." Gobber got up from the table going over to a drawer and taking out a small notebook. Coming back he hands the book to Hiccup turning it to a center page. The page had a drawing of a young Gobber with another young man he didn't recognize.

"The man in the picture is an old friend of mine. He's not from around here so don't try to guess his name. This is how I know about the burn out. He tried so hard for so long to be exactly what he thought everyone wanted him to be he lost himself." Hiccup looked nervous seeing that that's what could happen to Snotlout one day.

"What I figured out was that the best way for him to find the courage to be more of himself was to treat him as if he was acting like his true self. You say Snotlout is aware of the person he pretends to be, so treat him like the person he hides. Have you figured out who that is?" Hiccup nodded thinking back to the previous night.

"He's calm and gentle. He likes tea and star gazing. He likes the idea of a close family, one that loves each other so much they continue to protect their loved ones even after they've passed." Gobber hummed and smiled seeing the small shine in Hiccup's eyes as he spoke of Snotlout.

"Remember these things lad. Start slow with him. Offer him something small or pay him a compliment he's not used to hearing. Make him feel like the him you see is the norm. He'll start to feel more confident and open up. It's a process, but the payoff is worth the time." Hiccup nodded coming up with ideas on how to approach Snotlout in this new way. Stoick brought his son out of his thoughts by shaking him a bit before pointing to the sky.

"It's getting to be dusk soon. You'll want to be going if you hope to make it back to the edge before night." Agreeing Hiccup said his goodbyes and hopped onto Toothless. Then something came to him and he looked back.

"But what about Spitelout? If this works and Snotlout begins to act the way he wants, won't his father get angry with him?" Stoick and Gobber shared a rather uneasy look before turning back to Hiccup.

"It's likely he won't be thrilled after spending all these years beating his son into exactly what he wants, but Snotlout is old enough now that even if his father objects he can't really do anything about it, even though he tries to make Snotlout believe otherwise." Hiccup nodded and took off towards the edge.

 **Okay so I lied this with be more than two parts. I want to give each part of the story proper attention. We'll see how that works. Bye =).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part three...yes.**

Night had fallen on Dragon's Edge as Hiccup and Toothless landed at the main hut. Dismounting Hiccup stretched and turned around meeting the face of a rather unhappy looking Astrid. Giving a nervous smile Hiccup bolted for his hut before Astrid could talk. As much as he loved her, this wasn't something he could easily explain to her, at least not without her turning detective and pushing her way into it. With that in mind Hiccup took to bed for the night thinking over the beginnings of his plan for Snotlout the next day.

The next morning Hiccup was up with the sun as he knew Snotlout always was. Like the day before he found the viking in question watching the sunrise. Remembering what Gobber had said Hiccup quietly stood next to Snotlout for a few minutes before starting his plan.

"So why do you get up so early? Is it from training or just you?" The casual tone caught Snotlout off guard. Something felt different about the way Hiccup approached him, but he decided it meant Hiccup was keeping good on not trying to push him and he relaxed.

"Training is right. Growing up dad always got me up at the crack of dawn to go running in the woods before breakfast. Said it would build up endurance and stamina, but all it built up was my appetite." And as if on command Snotlout's stomach rumbled making him blush a bit and Hiccup chuckle.

"How about we grab something to eat then. I can't make a whole lot but…" Snotlout cut the other man off and gestured to him hut. Nodding Hiccup followed Snotlout up the hill. Hiccup felt strange with Snotlout so quiet all the way to his small home. He wasn't used to the older Viking being anything but loud and proud. It was almost unsettling until they reached their destination.

"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's cooking. Just keep this quiet okay." Hiccup nodded and Snotlout set to work making eggs, hashbrowns and bacon. It took about twenty minutes to prepare everything and Hiccup watched in amazement the entire time. Snotlout really was skilled.

"Wow Snot, when did you learn to do that?" Snotlout placed two plates on the table along with two cups of tea.

"My mom taught me. She said it would be good for me to learn since…" Snotlout suddenly caught himself blushing lightly and stuffing eggs in his mouth. This got Hiccup's attention. In the kindest tone he had Hiccup asked softly.

"Since why? I mean my dad has been teaching me to cook since we're out here on our own, but that's not what you mean is it?" Snotlout sighed shaking his head. He knew Hiccup would probably bug him until he spilled so better to get it out now. Thinking Snotlout figured the other young man was the best to open up to. And he had been wanting to tell someone for a while now. It didn't stop him from being nervous.

"Since...since I won't have a wife." Hiccup paused curiously. Setting down his fork he leaned in a bit. Why would Snotlout say that?

"What do you mean? You don't want to marry? That's not so bad. Neither Mulch or Bucket are married. Nor is Sven." Snotlout gulped shaking his head again. This was going to be a bit more complicated than he thought.

"No Hic. I do want to marry, just not a woman. You know what I mean?" Hiccup was still a little confused. He thought for a moment about Snot's words. If he didn't want to marry a woman, but still wanted to marry, who would he...oh. Once it hit him Hiccup looked into Snotlout's eyes which were full of fear.

"Snotlout, do you...like men?" He nodded shyly not making eye contact. Hiccup was very surprised.

"But I thought you had a thing for Astrid?" Snotlout sighed.

"No I didn't. I never did at all. I only pretended to keep everyone off my back. The only other person that knows is my mom. She found out when she caught me watching some guys at the docks. She swore not to tell my dad, and you can't either. He'll kill me if he finds out." Hiccup frowned think that when he said that about his own dad it just meant he'd get in trouble, but with Spitelout he wasn't so sure. The man could be rather violent when angry.

"I promise Snotlout, I won't tell a soul. But would you tell me when you figured out your attraction?" Snotlout nodded he relaxed feeling lighter. It was nice to know he had someone else out there to talk to.

"Honestly it was when we were kids. I...kinda had a crush on Fishlegs back in the day. You know, before we started to fight so much." Hiccup chuckled and the two continued to chat for some time while finishing their food and cleaning up.

"Remember Hic, everything I've told you today stays between us." Snotlout stated in a mock threat. Hiccup smiled and nodded which made Snotlout smile to. The two decided it was time to head for the training ground and so they wondered down in content quiet. Hiccup was pleased his plan was working so far.

 **That's it for now. Next chapter out when I can get it. Bye =).**


	4. Chapter 4

Another part.

SLAM! Tuffnut hits the wall of the training area and falls to the ground with a thud. Snotlout stands on the other side of the area with a big triumphant grin. Ruff and Astrid cheered at the sideline which made Snotlout grin ever more. Slowly Tuffnut stood up and walked to the sideline by his sister. Snotlout walked off the field and the girls stepped up for their turn.

"You went easy on me today Snot. You feeling alright?" Snotlout gave a confused look to the other boy. He didn't think he'd gone easy.

"Yeah I'm fine. What do you mean?" Tuff shrugged adjusting his shoulder after from pain.

"You just, I don't know. You didn't seem into it. Like you did it, but you didn't want to." Snotlout thought for a moment, he hadn't been as angry as usual since Hiccup had started talking to him and hanging out with him more the last couple days. It was like the stress he usually felt wasn't there anymore.

"I guess I've just been in a good mood lately." Tuff was confused but didn't bother asking anymore. If something was up it'd show itself soon. Snotlout really can't hide his emotions as well as he likes to think he can.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Both boys turned to see Hiccup and Fishlegs approaching. Snotlout gave a simple smile which Hiccup returned.

"So Snotlout, brake anyone's bones today?" Fishlegs asked snarkily. Snotlout's smile instantly faded and he gave a pointed glare to the larger viking. Hiccup flinched at the difference between the two 'd never noticed how quickly Snotlout could change mood. He really has been doing this a long time if he could go from happy to angry so easily.

"Starting out strong today Legs? Someone spit in your breakfast or what?" Snotlout said with just as much snark and slightly more venom. Hiccup thought about what Snotlout had told him that morning. He'd had a crush on Fishlegs when they were kids. What changed him? Was it even him? He knew he couldn't ask right then, so he chose to wait until they were alone again.

"Actually Snot was pretty gentle today. All the pain is already gone." Tuff chimed in making all the other boys look at him. Fishlegs looked at Snotlout curiously for a moment after hearing this.

"Really Are you sick or something?" Snotlout crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. But for a second he wondered the same thing.

"No. Also you don't actually care so don't ask, it's really weird." He emphasised this by hunching his shoulders and taking a step back. This made Fishlegs huff and turn to the ring where the girls were still practicing. Snotlout let out a soft chuckle indicating that he'd won the verbal fight.

"So, I have a bit of an announcement today. We need all the riders so we have to wait for the girls to finish up." Everyone nodded and they all waited for the match to end with a victory for Astrid. When they got to the sideline Hiccup spoke again.

"Alright everyone, a few minutes ago I got this terror mail from my dad. Apparently there's a new pod of Scauldron in migration and they're disturbing the fish and fishermen around Berk. Our job is to go try to redirect the pod further out to sea. So everyone get your Dragons and let's go." With mumbled agreement everyone returned to their huts to get their Dragons. The fly to Berk was long and mostly quiet.

"So why didn't you go all out today?" Snotlout rolled his eyes turning his head slightly to look at Fishlegs. He thought for a moment and gave his best angry face. Fishlegs got the hint and flew further up.

"Dang, Snotlout's in a rotten mood this morning. Not surprising I guess. Right Hiccup?" Hiccup thought and shook his head. He hadn't noticed just how much Disdain for Snotlout Fishlegs had. It upset him a bit that he hadn't seen it sooner for Snotlout's sake.

"Actually Fishlegs, Snot was in a great mood earlier. He started acting grumpy when you started antagonising him, unprovoked I might add." Fishlegs's jaw fell open as Hiccup turned from him. Soon enough they reached the sea stacks outside of Berk where Stoick was supposed to meet them. The Viking chief waved them down and the riders landed.

"Glad you all made it over so fast. These Scauldrons are stirring up some trouble we don't need." Stoick gestured towards a cluster of fishing boats forced together by some unusually large waves.

"We're on it dad. Come on team." Everyone nods and flies over to the boats. The shadows of the dragons were clear under the waves.

"Okay everyone here's the plan; Astrid and Snotlout will flank left and divert the pod toward Fishlegs. Tuff and Ruff will go down and steady the boats with loose anchors. Fishlegs when the pod comes your way you and Meatlug will guide them passed the sea stacks and the Scauldron should be able to go on their own from there. Toothless and I will keep a visual in case any try to stray."

Quickly everyone got to their positions. The entire thing took a good hour with some of the Scauldron putting up a fight. Finally they got all the dragons out to sea and landed back on the sea stack Stoick had been watching from.

"Well done everybody. We shouldn't have anymore problems from those ones. Now let's head back to Berk for some well earned lunch." Everyone cheered in agreement and the group headed for the Island. The riders ate in relative silence for a time before Fishlegs spoke up.

"I'm surprised you didn't put up a fight about the plan Snotlout. I expected you to argue about having to actually do something." The sarcasm in his voice was obvious. Hiccup looked over to Snotlout who simply rolled his eyes at the comment and continued eating. Was this how they always acted? How did he not notice? Hiccup mentally slapped himself for not seeing it.

"Wow, you're out for blood today Fishlegs. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Snotlout looked up towards Hiccup as Fishlegs looked almost offended. Hiccup caught Snotlout's eye and gave him a smile. Snotlout smiled back and turned to Fishlegs.

"Yeah Hiccup's right Fishlegs. You're being pretty vocal today. Did I do something? Or are you just in a bad mood?" Fishlegs locked eyes with Snot for a moment before huffing and standing up from the table.

"I think I'm going to head back to the Edge early. I have some research to finish up." Before anyone could protest he was off. Everyone shared a confused look.

"Hey Hic, I wasn't being sarcastic before. I think something's actually up with Fishlegs today. Should we go after him?" Hiccup thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Not right away. I agree he seems off, but let's give him a little time to calm down before we do something." Snot nodded and they returned to their meals.

What could be up with Fishlegs? We'll find out next time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part five, have fun**

"No that's not it either!" Books fall to the floor as Fishlegs hits his desk in frustration. The young viking sighs rubbing his head feeling a migraine coming on. Why couldn't he find the book he was looking for? He needed to figure this out before it was too late.

"Hey Fishlegs, you doing alright?" Turning Fishlegs sighed again seeing Hiccup in the doorway. He gave a simple nod and continued to search his library.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem pretty upset about something." Fishlegs paused thinking. Maybe Hiccup could help him with this hunch of his. He turned back to the smaller viking.

"I have something on my mind, but I don't know if it's right or not. I don't like that uncertainty, do you think you could help me?" It was unusual for Fishlegs to get frustrated like this. Hiccup nodded walking into the hut.

"Sure Fishlegs, but why were you after Snotlout before? Is this something to do with him?" Fishlegs rolled his eyes remembering the morning.

"Yes and no. He has a part in it, but it's really about all of us. It's come to my attention that someone here is lying about who they are. I don't know to what extent, but I have a feeling it's important." Hiccup froze. Could he have figured out Snotlout's mask?

"What do you mean by lying? Everyone has their things they don't like to talk about with others. There's nothing wrong with a bit of secrecy." Fishlegs had gone back to looking over his books.

"Maybe not, but this feels different. Especially Snotlout seems to be hiding something. He hasn't been himself the last couple day." Hiccup mentally facepalmed. Of course the others would notice if Snotlout started calming down all of a sudden. How had he not thought of that?

"I haven't noticed much of a change. He seemed perfectly in character to me." Fishlegs gave a confused look.

"Really? When I insulted him today he didn't try to hit me with something or snark back at me. He just rolled his eyes and ignored me. That's not normal for him. Something's up, even Tuffnut said Snotlout had gone easy on him in practice today. Snotlout never goes easy." This was worrying.

Hiccup started to feel nervous, why is Fishlegs so intent on figuring this out? He knew he couldn't keep this to himself. He needed to talk to Snotlout right away. Quietly Hiccup snuck out of the hut and ran up the hill to where Snotlout was feeding Hookfang.

"Snotlout, we need to talk." Snot turned from his Dragon to his friend. The tone Hiccup used made him worried.

"What's up Hic? Weren't you going to see about Fishlegs?" Hiccup nodded and gestured for the two to go inside to talk. This made Snotlout even more worried as the door shut behind them.

"I did go talk to Fishlegs. He said he was going to try and find out what you're hiding. Because you've been calmer and less forceful the last couple days." Snotlout's face turned white and he just fell into his chair.

"I knew something like this would happen. I told you before that people would notice me not being the way they expect and that they'd think I was up to something." Hiccup now really understood what he'd meant. This wasn't what he wanted at all.

"I'm sorry Snotlout. I didn't think it would happen like this." Snot shook his head and stood up pacing the room. This was bad. Fishlegs hated him. Gods knew why exactly but he did and he would very much like to be able to laugh at Snotlout for not being as manly as he normally played.

"I think we need another person to help. Someone who will keep a secret and keep Fishlegs off my back. I don't like the idea, but I don't think it's enough just with you and me." Hiccup looked surprised at Snotlout. He could see the uncomfortable way he held himself being extremely nervous of anyone else knowing his true self.

"That's really brave of you Snotlout." Snot smiled weakly but it faded quick. He didn't know who he could trust besides Hiccup that wouldn't make fun of him. It was a hard decision to make. Considering that the other riders really only tolerated him because they happen to be in the same age range and ended up working together. He couldn't imagine any of them being willing to keep this kind of thing a secret for him.

"Hiccup I can't think of anyone who'd be okay with this. I don't trust them. I don't know if I can. If they don't or can't keep silent it could destroy me. And I know a couple of them that would absolutely love to watch me suffer." Hiccup instantly thought of Fishlegs and the twins. Fishlegs was already trying to expose Snotlout and the twins love causing trouble.

"What about Astrid? She knows how to keep a secret and with me asking she won't…" Snotlout put up a hand to quiet Hiccup.

"Astrid is a different worry all together. I know she'd keep this all quiet, but she'll give me a hard time about it. I can only imagine how many jabs she'd send at me for being the way I really am. She would just love the opportunity to rag on me for not being man enough and actually be right." Hiccup frowned seeing the worry and distrust on Snotlout's face. Did he really believe the others would be so cruel to him for this?

"Or maybe she'll respect you for being willing to let her in? You let me in." Snotlout sighed turning to the other young man. The serious look in his eyes was almost intimidating to Hiccup.

"That was different Hic. You're not like the others. You know what it feels like to not feel like you belong. You understand how it feels to not be like everyone else. I've kept this fact hidden because I could never afford to have the courage you do to be yourself. When I ever did growing up I was stopped cold and "Corrected" for my behavior because it wasn't what I was told it had to be." Hiccup felt a jump in his chest as tears began to well in Snotlout's eyes. He really had been holding back for so long. Never by his own choice either. Hiccup gently pulled Snotlout into a hug. Hesitating for a moment Snot returned the gesture.

"I'm sorry Snotlout. You're right, this can't be so quickly changed. But maybe bringing another person into it would help? It's your choice and I support it no matter what you choose." Snotlout pulled away a bit but didn't break the hug. Looking up into Hiccup's warm smile he smiled back.

"Thanks Hic. I need a bit of time to think about it. Let's sleep on it and talk again tomorrow okay?" Hiccup nodded and the two parted. Hiccup left back to his own hut.

This was going to be an interesting event. He hoped Snotlout would be willing to let another in, but understood his nervousness to do so. The night went slowly for both of them. Snotlout nearly gave himself a headache wrapping his mind around even having Hiccup know the truth let alone someone else. It wasn't until that next afternoon Snotlout pulled himself together and went to Hiccup's hut where he found his leader pouring over a few different maps of the islands. The footsteps brought Hiccup out of the work mode he was in and he smiled to his friend.

"Hey Snot. Have you made a choice yet?" Straightforward as ever Snot rolled his eyes and entered the hut.

"Yes I have. It took a lot of thought but...I think it really would be a good idea to bring one more person into my life. Will you help me talk to Astrid?" Hiccup's smile grew and he nodded excitedly. He was proud that Snot would do this. He nodded vigorously and the two headed together for Astrid's hut.

 **The next chapter will be kinda intents so I'm stopping here for drama.**


End file.
